Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Todd Parrott: 'I'm not hiding behind anything I've done'

Sprint Cup Series crew chief Todd Parrott, who was fired Tuesday by Richard Petty Motorsports after failing a NASCAR drug test, called in to "The Late Shift" on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday night to talk with hosts Brad Gillie and Buddy Baker about his suspension and his participation in NASCAR's Road to Recovery Program. Here are some excerpts from the interview: "It’s part of it, as part
of the Road to Recovery, is getting out there and admitting the mistakes and
stuff. You know, getting in front it, you know it’s really a load off my shoulders
and I’m probably going to wake up in the morning and feel a lot better about
this. "I’m going to do anything
I can. Like I said, talking about it and letting it be known I’m not hiding
behind anything that I’ve done is one of the first steps to get started. I’ve
got a meeting tomorrow with counselors to get the process started. I’m looking
forward to it. First of all, I want to apologize to my family, to everyone at
Richard Petty Motorsports, all my friends for being with me while I’m in this position. It’s not something that I’m proud
ofbut it’s something that I’m going to
take time and address and fix. NASCAR has rules and procedures, they’ve
administered them and this is where I’m at. I’m ready to take the steps to get
back into the sport that I’ve love and been around my whole live. I just want
to get started. I just want to get back in that garage and hopefully in time to
win another Daytona 500."